We are the "intelligent Structural Monitoring and Response Testing (iSMaRT)" Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh led by Dr. Amir H. Alavi. Our multidisciplinary scientific studies are organized around three research thrusts:
Thrust 1: Mechanics and Electronics of Multifunctional Materials
Thrust 2: Embedded Self-powered Sensing Systems
Thrust 3: Data-driven Modeling of Engineering Systems
We are passionate about fundamental research to advance the science of “systems engineering” to create integrative approaches for the design, additive manufacturing and computational modelling of complex engineered materials and structures. We are interested in harnessing the power of the created principles and concepts in the fields of civil infrastructure, construction, aerospace, and biomedical engineering.
Since joining the University of Pittsburgh in 2019, Dr. Alavi has secured near $2.2 million in research grants as the PI from various funding agencies to support his research in the following research thrust areas.
MECHANICS AND ELECTRONICS OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
We are heavily focused on design, additive manufacturing and computational modelling of novel engineered material systems (e.g. mechanical metamaterials, composites) and understanding their multiscale mechanics and electronics. In this area, a groundbreaking research led by Dr. Alavi is the invention of multifunctional sensor-nanogenerator mechanical metamaterials under the “Meta-tribomaterials” concept. This concept enables creating electronic architected materials with a wide range of functionalities including self-sensing, energy harvesting, mechanoelectrical-logic digital computation, data storage, programmability, and mechanical tunability. These multifunctional materials simply rely on their constituent components to achieve advanced functionalities, without using any external power source or additional electronics. Our research integrates theoretical, computational and experimental methods to capture the mechanics and electronics of such functional materials. Our vision is to build the foundations for intelligent structures that can operate similar to complex living organisms (e.g. “Engineered Self-aware Structures (ES^2s)”), or smart battery-free “metamaterial medical implants” with diagnostic capabilities.
SELF-POWERED SENSING AND MONITORING SYSTEMS
Our research group is primarily involved in design and fabrication of innovative solutions for structural health monitoring (SHM) and condition assessment of structural systems. This will involve creating novel sensing, monitoring and automated technologies that are enhanced by engineering informatics for a better decision making. We are pioneering the “Self-powered Monitoring Concept”, where the operating power of the smart wireless sensors is directly harvested from the signal being monitored. We have also invented the striking concept of “Triboelectric Nanogenerator-enabled Structural Elements (TENG-SEs)” for distributed SHM of structural systems. This is the first-of-its-kind systematic study on integrating the TENG systems into the fabric of large-scale structural elements.
DATA-DRIVEN MODELING & ANALYSIS OF ENGINEERING SYSTEMS
One of the missions of the Pitt’s iSMaRT group is to explore the capabilities of engineering systems informatics in various engineering domains. Our broad research portfolio in this arena involves designing computational models for data-driven discovery and design of materials, creating novel data mining algorithms for characterizing engineering systems, and developing advanced data interpretation/fusion frameworks for processing and analyzing the SHM data. To achieve these goals, we are developing and deploying advanced machine learning and optimization methods.
Dr. Amir H. Alavi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and holds courtesy appointments in the Department of Bioengineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Pittsburgh. His multidisciplinary scientific studies are organized around three research thrusts: 1) mechanics and electronics of multifunctional materials and structures, 2) embedded self-powered sensing systems, and 3) data-driven characterization, design and discovery of engineering systems. Dr. Alavi is passionate about advancing the science of systems engineering to create integrative approaches for the design, additive manufacturing and computational modelling of complex engineered materials and structures. He is interested in harnessing the power of the created principles and concepts in the fields of civil infrastructure, construction, aerospace, and biomedical engineering. Dr. Alavi is pioneering the field of “self-powered monitoring”, where the operating power of the smart embedded sensing systems is directly harvested from the signal being monitored. He has coined the groundbreaking concept of “meta-tribomaterials”, which enables creating nano-, micro-, and macro-scale architected materials with a wide range of advanced functionalities including active sensing, energy harvesting, data storage, digital computation, programmability, and mechanical tunability. His team is interested in capturing the mechanical and electrical behavior of such functional materials to build the foundations for intelligent and autonomous engineered structures. In addition, Dr. Alavi’s original and seminal contributions to developing and deploying advanced machine learning and bio-inspired computational techniques have established a road map for their broad applications in various engineering domains. Dr. Alavi has authored 8 books and near 200 publications in archival journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings. He has received a number of award certificates for his journal articles. He is among the Web of Science ESI's World Top 1% Scientific Minds in 2018, and Stanford University list of Top 1% Scientists in the World in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Dr. Alavi is the recipient of NSF CAREER Award in 2023. He is the editor/guest editor of several journals such as Measurement, Chip, Automation in Construction, and ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems. Dr. Alavi received his PhD degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University. He also holds MSc and BSc degrees in Civil Engineering from Iran University of Science & Technology.
Team Members
Jianzhe (James) Luo
PhD Student
MSc, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
BSc, Central South University
Lab Alumni:
Graduate Students
• Qianyun (Gloria) Zhang, Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University.
• Kaveh Barri, Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University.
Undergraduate Students
• Aron Griffin, GEM Fellow, Meta.
• Jake Kline, Project Coordinator, Eos Studio Arc.
Join Our Team:
Candidates with a background in smart material and structures, mechanical metamaterials, energy harvesting, and computational modeling are highly encouraged to contact Dr. Alavi regarding the availability of graduate research assistantships/fellowship. Undergraduate students at Pitt or from other peer institutions are welcomed to join our team for research internship. Furthermore, there are open positions for visiting professors. Please send your resume to Dr. Alavi at alavi@pitt.edu.
PUBLICATIONS
Citations: > 18,000; h-index: 60; Link:
Google Scholar
Books
Alavi A.H., Feng M.Q., Jiao P., Khodaei Z., “The Rise of Smart Cities: Advanced Structural Sensing and Monitoring Systems”, Elsevier, Waltham, MA, USA, 2022. [ISBN: 9780128177846]
Peter J.D., Fernandes S., Alavi A.H., “Intelligence in Big Data Technologies—Beyond the Hype”, Springer Nature, 2020. [ISBN: 978-981-15-5284-7]
Peter J.D., Alavi A.H., Javadi B., Fernandes S., “The Cognitive Approach in Cloud Computing and Internet of Things Technologies for Surveillance Tracking Systems”, Elsevier, 2020. [ISBN: 9780128163856]
Alavi A.H., Buttlar W.G., “Data Analytics Applications for Smart Cities”, Taylor & Francis, New York, NY, 2018. [ISBN: 978-113-83-0877-0]
Rajsingh E.B., Veerasamy J., Alavi A.H., Peter J.D., “Advances in Big Data and Cloud Computing”, Springer Nature, 2018. [ISBN: 978-981-10-7199-7]
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Ryan C., “Handbook of Genetic Programming Applications”, 665 pages, Springer, 2015. [ISBN: 978-3-319-20882-4]
Yang X.S., Gandomi A.H., Talatahari S., Alavi A.H., “Metaheuristics in Water Resources, Geotechnical and Transportation Engineering”, Elsevier, 2012. [ISBN: 9780123982964]
Gandomi A.H., Yang X.S., Talatahari S., Alavi A.H., “Metaheuristic Applications in Structures and Infrastructures”, Elsevier, 2013. [ISBN: 9780123983640]
Edited Special Issues
Wang Z.L., Wu Z., Mahmud M.A.P., Alavi A.H., Zhang, R., “Focus Issue on Nanomaterials for Self-Powered Sensing”, Nanotechnology, IOP, 2022.
Ding W., Alavi A.H., Fioranelli F., Li G., Ni X., Song L., “Special Issue on Sensing, Processing, Computing and Networking for the Era of Wearables”, Digital Signal Processing, Elsevier, 2022.
Dong M., Alavi A.H., Hsu C.H., “Special Issue on Enhancing Security Using Block Chain for Cyber-Physical System”, Journal of Supercomputing, Springer, 2020.
Hsu C.H., Alavi A.H., Dong M., Zhang N., “Special Issue on Interactive Personalized Recommendation Systems for Human Health”, Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, Springer, 2020.
Hsu C.H., Alavi A.H., Dong M., Zhang N., “Special Issue on Envisage Enabling Next Generation Technologies: 6G”, Computer Communication, Elsevier, 2020.
Dong M., Alavi A.H., Hsu C.H., Zhang N., “Special Issue on Sustainability in Oil, Gas and Energy Resources”, Sustainability, MDPI, 2019.
Alavi A.H., Buttlar W.G., Golparvar-Fard M., “Special Issue on Smart Infrastructure, Construction and Building Internet of Things (SICB-IoT)”, Automation in Construction, Elsevier, 2017.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., “Special Issue on Metaheuristics in Reliability and Risk Analysis”, ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems: Part A, 2018.
Alavi A.H., Blessing E., Dinesh Peter J., “Special Issue on Big-Data and Cloud Technologies”, Elsevier Computers and Electrical Engineering, Elsevier, 2017.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “Special Issue on Big Data in Civil Engineering”, Automation in Construction, Elsevier, 2016.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Lary D., “Special Issue on Progress of Machine Learning in Geosciences”, Geoscience Frontiers, Elsevier, 2015.
Talatahari S., Singh V.P., Alavi A.H., Kang F., “Special Issue on Soft Computing Methods in Civil Engineering”, The Scientific World Journal, Hindawi, 2015.
Talatahari S., Chen S., Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., “Special Issue on Advances of Artificial Intelligence in Mechanical Engineering”, Advances in Mechanical Engineering, SAGE, 2014.
Selected Journal Papers
2023
Zhang Q., Barri K., Jiao P., Luo J., Lu W., Wang J., Hong L., Mueller J., Wang, Z.L., Alavi A.H., “Meta-mechanotronics for self-powered computation”, Materials Today, In press, 2023.
Barri K., Zhang Q., Kline J., Taylor B., Lu W., Luo J., Sun Z., Taylor B.E., Sachs S., Khazanovich L., Wang, Z.L., Alavi A.H.*, “Multifunctional nanogenerator-integrated metamaterial concrete systems for smart civil infrastructure”, Advanced Materials, Article 17643876, 2023.
Zhang Q., Yu H., Barri K., Wan Z., Lu W., Luo J., Alavi A.H.*, “Bio-inspired morphological evolution of metastructures with new operation modalities”, Advanced Intelligent Systems, Article ID 2300019, 2023.
2022
Barri K., Zhang Q., Swink I., Aucie Y., Holmberg K., Sauber R., Altman D.T., Cheng B.C., Wang Z.L., Alavi A.H., “Patient-specific multifunctional metamaterial implants for detecting bone healing progress”, Advanced Functional Materials, Article ID 2203533, 2022.
Barri K., Zhang Q., Mehta D., Chakrabartty S., Debski R.E., Alavi A.H., “Studying the feasibility of an implantable and self-powered sensing system for postoperative monitoring of spinal fusion progress”, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 69, 710-717, 2022.
Jiao P., Matinnazar A., Egbe K.J.I., Barri K., Alavi A.H., “Magnetic capsulate triboelectric nanogenerators”, Scientific Reports, 12: 1-10, 2022.
Ouyang F., Jiao P., Zhang Q., Alavi A.H.* “Artificial intelligence-enabled prediction model of student academic performance in online engineering education”, Artificial Intelligence Review, 55.8, 6321-6344, 2022.
2021
Zhang Q., Barri K., Kari S.R., Wang ZL., Alavi A.H., “Multifunctional triboelectric nanogenerator-enabled structural elements for next generation civil infrastructure monitoring systems”, Advanced Functional Materials, Article ID 2105825, 2021.
Barri K., Zhang Q., Jiao P., Chen J., Wang ZL., Alavi A.H., “Multifunctional meta-tribomaterial nanogenerators for energy harvesting and active sensing”, Nano Energy, 86, Article 106074, 2021.
Salehi H., Burgueno R., Chakrabartty S., Lajnef N., Alavi A.H., “A comprehensive review of self-powered sensors in civil infrastructure: State-of-the-art and future research trends ”. Engineering Structures, Article ID 111963, 2021.
Zhang Q., Barri K., Babanajad S., Alavi A.H., “Real-time detection of cracks on concrete bridge decks using deep learning in frequency domain”. Engineering, 7(12), 1786-1796, 2021.
Fathi H., Vaez S.RH., Zhang Q., Alavi A.H., “A new approach for crack detection in plate structures using an integrated extended finite element and vibrating particles system optimization methods”, Structures, 29: 638-651, 2021.
Feng Y., Deb S., Wang G.G., Alavi A.H., “Monarch butterfly optimization: a comprehensive review”, Expert Systems with Applications, 168, 114418, 2021.
2020
Jiao P., Alavi A.H., “Artificial intelligence-enabled smart mechanical metamaterials: advent and future trends”, International Materials Reviews, 1-29, 2020.
Jiao P., Alavi A.H., “Evolutionary computation for design and characterization of nanoscale metastructures”, Applied Materials Today, 21, 100816, 2020.
Fathi H., Vaez S.RH., Zhang Q., Alavi A.H., “A new approach for crack detection in plate structures using an integrated extended finite element and vibrating particles system optimization methods”, Structures, In Press, 2020.
Matinnazar A., Jiao P., Zhang Q., Egbe K.J.I., Alavi A.H., “A new structural health monitoring approach based on smartphone measurements of magnetic field intensity”, IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine, In Press, 2020.
JZhang Q., Barri K., Jiao P., Salehi H., Alavi A.H., “Genetic programming in civil engineering: advent, applications and future trends”. Artificial Intelligence Review, 1-23, 2020.
Jiao P., Hasni H., Lajnef N., Alavi A.H., "Mechanical metamaterial piezoelectric nanogenerator: Design principle, modeling and performance", Materials & Design, 187:108214, 2020.
Bayat M., Pakar I., Ahmadi H.R., Cao M., Alavi A.H., "Structural health monitoring through nonlinear frequency-based approaches for conservative vibratory systems", Structural Engineering and Mechanics, 73:331-337, 2020.
Jiao P., Alavi A.H., "Artificial intelligence in seismology: Advent, performance and future trends", Geoscience Frontiers, in press, 2020.
Barri K., Jahangiri B., Davami O., Buttlar W.G., Alavi A.H., "Smartphone-based molecular sensing for advanced characterization of asphalt concrete materials", Measurement, 151:107212, 2020.
Sinha M.D., Babu M.R., Patan R., Jiao P., Barri K., Alavi A.H., "Internet of things-based fog and cloud computing technology for smart traffic monitoring", Internet of Things, in press, 2020.
Li W., Wang G.G., Alavi A.H., "Learning-based elephant herding optimization algorithm for solving numerical optimization problems", Knowledge-Based Systems, in press, 2020.
2019
Mousavi M., Holloway D., Olivier J.C., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., " A Shannon entropy approach for structural damage identification based on self-powered sensor data", Engineering Structures, 200:109619, 2019.
Alavi A.H., Buttlar W.G., "An overview of smartphone technology for citizen-centered, real-time and scalable civil infrastructure monitoring", Future Generation Computer Systems, 93:651-672, 2019.
Jiao P., Alavi A.H., " Size-dependent buckling instability and recovery of beam-like, architected microstructures", Materials & Design, 162, 405-417, 2019.
Jiao P., Borchani W., Alavi A.H., Lajnef N., " Small and large deformation models of post-buckled beams under lateral constraints", Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids, 24 (2), 386-405, 2019.
Majidifard H., Jahangiri B., Buttlar W.G., Alavi A.H., " New machine learning-based prediction models for fracture energy of asphalt mixtures", Measurement, 135, 438-451, 2019.
Mirzahosseini M., Jiao P., Barri K., Riding K.A., Alavi A.H., " New machine learning prediction models for compressive strength of concrete modified with glass cullet", Engineering Computations, 36 (3), 876-898, 2019.
Jiao P., Roy M., Barri K., Zhu R., Ray I., Alavi A.H., " High-performance fiber reinforced concrete as a repairing material to normal concrete structures: Experiments, numerical simulations and a machine learning-based prediction model", Construction and Building Materials 223, 1167-1181, 2019.
2018
Alavi A.H., Jiao P., Buttlar W.G., Lajnef N., “Internet of Things-Enabled Smart Cities: State-of-the-Art and Future Trends”, Measurement 129, 589-606, 2018.
Jiao P., Borchani W., Alavi A.H., Lajnef N., "Micro-Composite Films Constrained by Irregularly Bilateral Walls: A Size-Dependent Post-Buckling Analysis", Composite Structures, in press, 2018.
Jiao P., Borchani W., Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Lajnef N., "An Energy Harvesting and Damage Sensing Solution Based on Post-Buckling Response of Non-Uniform Cross-Section Beams", Structural Control and Health Monitoring, 25:e2052, 2018.
Hasni H., Jiao P., Alavi A.H., Lajnef N., Masri S.F., "Structural Health Monitoring of Steel Frames Using a Network of Self-powered Strain and Acceleration Sensors: A Numerical Study", Automation in Construction, 85, 344-357, 2018.
Hasni H., Jiao P., Lajnef N., Alavi A.H., "Damage Localization and Quantification in Gusset Plates: A Battery‐Free Sensing Approach", Structural Control and Health Monitoring, in press, 2018.
2017
Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Jiao P., Borchani W., Lajnef N., “Fatigue Cracking Detection in Steel Bridge Girders through a Self-Powered Sensing Concept”, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 128, 19–38, 2017.
Hasni H., Alavi A.H., Lajnef N., Abdelbarr M., Masri S.F., Chakrabartty S., Self-Powered Piezo-Floating-Gate Sensors for Health Monitoring of Steel Plates, Engineering Structures, 148, 584-601, 2017. DOI: Link
Hasni H., Alavi A.H., Jiao P., Lajnef N., “Detection of Fatigue Cracking in Steel Bridge Girders: A Support Vector Machine Approach”, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, 17(3), 609-622, 2017.
Hasni H., Alavi A.H., Chatti K., Lajnef N., “A Self-Powered Surface Sensing Approach for Detection of Bottom-Up Cracking in Asphalt Concrete Pavements: Theoretical/Numerical Modeling”, Construction and Building Materials, 144, 728–746, 2017.
Wang G., Gandomi A. H., Alavi A. H., A Comprehensive Review of Krill Herd Algorithm: Variants, Hybrids and Applications" Artificial Intelligence Review, 1-30, 2017.
2016
Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Lajnef N., Chatti K., Faridazar F., “An Intelligent Structural Damage Detection Approach Based on Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Data”, Automation in Construction, 62: 24–44, 2016.
Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Lajnef N., Chatti K., Faridazar F., “Damage Detection Using Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Data: An Evolutionary Approach”, Measurement, 82, 254–283, 2016.
Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Lajnef N., Chatti K., Faridazar F., “Continuous Health Monitoring of Pavement Systems Using Smart Sensing Technology”, Construction and Building Materials, 114, 719–736, 2016.
Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Lajnef N., Chatti K., “Damage Growth Detection in Steel Plates: Numerical and Experimental Studies”, Engineering Structures, 128, 124–138, 2016.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Lary D.J., “Progress of Machine Learning in Geosciences”, Geoscience Frontiers, Elsevier, 7 (1): 1-2, 2016.
Jiao, P., Borchani, W., Hasni, H., Alavi, A.H. and Lajnef, N. Post-Buckling Response of Non-Uniform Cross-Section Bilaterally Constrained Beams. Mechanics Research Communications, 78: 42-50.
Alavi A.H., Sadrossadat E., “New Design Equations for Estimation of Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations Resting on Rock Masses”, Geoscience Frontiers, 7 (1), 91-99, 2016.
Lary D.J., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Walker A.L., “Machine Learning in Geosciences and Remote Sensing”, Geoscience Frontiers, Elsevier, 7 (1): 3-10, 2016.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Kazemi S., Arjmandi P., “Formulation of Shear Strength of Slender RC Beams Using Gene Expression Programming. Part II: with Shear Reinforcement.” Measurement, Elsevier, 95, 367-376, 2016.
Wang G., Gandomi A. H., Alavi A. H., “Chaotic Cuckoo Search” Soft Computing, Springer, 20 (9), 3349-3362, 2016.
2015
Mirzahosseini M.R., Najjar Y.M., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “Next-Generation Models for Evaluation of Flow Number of Asphalt Mixtures”, International Journal of Geomechanics, 15(6): 04015009, 2015.
Shahnazari H., Dehnavi Y., Alavi A.H., “The Next-Generation Constitutive Correlations for Simulation of Cyclic Stress-Strain Behavior of Sand.” Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 21: 31-44, 2015.
Sarveghadi M., Gandomi A.H., Bolandi H., Alavi A.H., “Development of prediction models for shear strength of SFRCB using a machine learning approach.” Neural Computing & Applications, 1-10, 2015.
2014
Wang G., Gandomi A. H., Alavi A.H., “An Effective Krill Herd Algorithm with Migration Operator in Biogeography-based Optimization,” Applied Mathematical Modelling, 38(9–10), 2454–2462, 2014.
Wang G., Gandomi A. H., Yang X.S., Alavi A. H., “A Novel Improved Accelerated Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Global Numerical Optimization,” Engineering Computations, 31(7), 1198-1220, 2014.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Kazemi S., Gandomi M., “Formulation of Shear Strength of Slender RC Beams Using Gene Expression Programming. Part I: without Shear Reinforcement”, Automation in Construction, 42, 112–121, 2014.
Gandomi A.H., Mohammadzadeh D., Pérez JL. Alavi A.H., “Linear Genetic Programming for Shear Strength Prediction of Reinforced Concrete Beams without Stirrups”, Applied Soft Computing, 19: 112–120, 2014.
Wang G., Gandomi A. H., Alavi A.H., “An Effective Krill Herd Algorithm with Migration Operator in Biogeography-based Optimization,” Applied Mathematical Modelling, 38(9–10), 2454–2462, 2014.
Wang G., Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., “Stud Krill Herd Algorithm”, Neurocomputing, Elsevier, 128(27), 363-370, 2014.
2013
Gandomi A.H., Yang X.S., Talatahari S., Alavi A.H., “Firefly Algorithm with Chaos”, Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation, 18(1): 89–98, 2013.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Chahkandi Nejad H., Mollahasani A., Rashed A. “Design equations for prediction of pressuremeter soil deformation moduli utilizing expression programming systems.” Neural Computing & Applications, Springer, 23(6), 1771-1786, 2013.
Gandomi A.H., Yang X.S., Alavi A.H., “Cuckoo Search Algorithm: A Metaheuristic Approach to Solve Structural Optimization Problems”, Engineering with Computers, 29(1), 17-35, 2013.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Mohamadzadeh S.D., Sahab M.G., “An Empirical Model for Shear Capacity of RC Deep Beams Using Genetic-Simulated Annealing”, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, 13(3): 354–369, 2013.
Babanajad S.K., Gandomi A.H., Mohammadzadeh S.D., Alavi A.H., “Numerical Modeling of Concrete Strength under Multiaxial Confinement Pressures Using Linear Genetic Programming”, Automation in Construction, 36, 136-144, 2013.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Asghari A. Niroomand H., Matin Nazar., A., “An Innovative Approach for Modeling of Hysteretic Energy Demand in Steel Moment Resisting Frames”, Neural Computing & Applications, Springer, 2013, in press. DOI: Link
Gandomi A.H., Yun G.J., Alavi A.H., “An evolutionary approach for modeling of shear strength of RC deep beams”, Materials and Structures, Springer, 2013, in press.
2012
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “Energy-Based Models for Assessment of Soil Liquefaction”, Geoscience Frontiers, Elsevier, 3(4): 541-555, 2012.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., “Krill Herd Algorithm: A New Bio-Inspired Optimization Algorithm”, Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation, 17(12): 4831–4845, 2012.
Rashed A., Bolouri Bazaz J., Alavi A.H., “Nonlinear Modeling of Soil Deformation Modulus through LGP-Based Interpretation of Pressuremeter Test Results”, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 25(7): 1437-1449, 2012.
Alavi A.H., Mollahasani A., Gandomi A.H., Bolouri Bazaz J., “Formulation of Secant and Reloading Soil Deformation Moduli Using Multi Expression Programming”, International Journal for Computer-Aided Engineering and Software-Engineering Computations, 29(2), 173-197, 2012.
Gandomi A.H., Babanajad S.K., Alavi A.H., Farnam Y., “Novel Approach to Strength Modeling of Concrete under Triaxial Compression”, Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, ASCE, 24 (9): 1132–1143, 2012.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Mousavi S.M., “Discussion on Prediction of Shear Strength Parameters of Soils Using Artificial Neural Networks and Multivariate Regression Methods”, Engineering Geology, 137–138: 107–108, 2012.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “Discussion on Models to Predict the Deformation Modulus and the Coefficient of Subgrade Reaction for Earth Filling Structures”, Advances in Engineering Software, 52: 44–46, 2012.
2011
Mollahasani A., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “Empirical Modeling of Plate Load Test Moduli of Soil via Gene Expression Programming”, Computers and Geotechnics, Elsevier, 38(2): 281-286, 2011.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Modaresnezhad M., Mousavi M., “New Ground-Motion Prediction Equations Using Multi Expression Programming”, Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 15(4): 511–536, 2011.
Alavi A.H., Ameri M., Gandomi A.H., Mirzahosseini M.R., “Formulation of Flow Number of Asphalt Mixes Using a Hybrid Computational Method”, Construction and Building Materials, 25(3): 1338–1355, 2011.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “Prediction of Principal Ground-Motion Parameters Using a Hybrid Method Coupling Artificial Neural Networks and Simulated Annealing”, Computers and Structures, Elsevier, 89 (23-24): 2176-2194, 2011.
Gandomi A.H., Yang X.S., Alavi A.H., “Mixed Variable Structural Optimization Using Firefly Algorithm”, Computers and Structures, 89(23-24): 2325-2336 2011.
Alavi A.H., Aminian P., Gandomi A.H., Arab Esmaeili M., “Genetic-Based Modeling of Uplift Capacity of Suction Caissons”, Expert Systems with Applications, Elsevier, 38(10): 12608-12618, 2011.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “A Robust Data Mining Approach for Formulation of Geotechnical Engineering Systems”, International Journal for Computer-Aided Engineering and Software-Engineering Computations, 28(3): 242-274, 2011.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Mirzahosseini M.R., Moghadas Nejad F., “Nonlinear Genetic-Based Models for Prediction of Flow Number of Asphalt Mixtures”, Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, ASCE, 23(3): 248–263, 2011.
Mousavi S.M., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Mollahasani A., “A Hybrid Computational Approach to Formulate Soil Deformation Moduli Obtained from PLT”, Engineering Geology, 123: 324-332, 2011.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., “Multi-Stage Genetic Programming: A New Strategy to Nonlinear System Modeling”, Information Sciences, 181(23): 5227-5239, 2011.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Mousavi M., Tabatabaei S.M. “A Hybrid Computational Approach to Derive New Ground-Motion Attenuation Models”, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 24(4): 717–732, 2011.
Mirzahosseini M.R., Aghaeifar A., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Seyednour, M., “Permanent Deformation Analysis of Asphalt Mixtures Using Soft Computing Techniques”, Expert Systems with Applications, Elsevier, 38(5): 6081–6100, 2011.
2010
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Sahab M.G., Gandomi M., “Multi Expression Programming: A New Approach to Formulation of Soil Classification”, Engineering with Computers, 26(2): 111-118, 2010.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Mollahasani A., Heshmati A.A.R., Rashed A., “Modeling of Maximum Dry Density and Optimum Moisture Content of Stabilized Soil Using Artificial Neural Networks”, Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Wiley-VCH, 173(3): 368-379, 2010.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Mousavi M., Mollahasani A., “High-Precision Modeling of Uplift Capacity of Suction Caissons Using a Hybrid Computational Method”, Geomechanics and Engineering, 2(4): 253-280, 2010. PDF Link
Mousavi S.M., Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Vesalimahmood M., “Modeling of Compressive Strength of HPC Mixes Using a Combined Algorithm of Genetic Programming and Orthogonal Least Squares”, Structural Engineering and Mechanics, 36(2), 225-241, 2010. PDF Link
Mousavi S.M., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Arab Esmaeili M., Gandomi M., “A Data Mining Approach to Compressive Strength of CFRP Confined Concrete Cylinders”, Structural Engineering and Mechanics, 36(6), 2010. PDF Link
Shahnazari H., Dehnavi Y., Alavi A.H., “Numerical Modeling of Stress-Strain Behavior of Sand under Cyclic Loading”, Engineering Geology, 116(1-2): 53-72, 2010.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Sahab M.G., “New Formulation for Compressive Strength of CFRP Confined Concrete Cylinders Using Linear Genetic Programming”, Materials and Structures, 43(7): 963-983, 2010.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Sahab M.G., Arjmandi P., “Formulation of Elastic Modulus of Concrete Using Linear Genetic Programming”, Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 24(6): 1011-1017, 2010.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H. Heshmati A.A.R., “Discussion on Soft computing approach for real-time estimation of missing wave heights”, Ocean Engineering, 37(13): 1239-1240, 2010.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Gandomi M., “Comment on Genetic Programming Approach for Flood Routing in Natural Channels”, Hydrological Processes, 24(6): 798-799, 2010.
2009
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Kazemi S., Alinia M.M., “Behavior Appraisal of Steel Semi-Rigid Joints Using Linear Genetic Programming.” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Elsevier, 65: 1738-1750, 2009.
Heshmati A.A.R., Alavi A.H., Keramati M., Gandomi A.H., “A Radial Basis Function Neural Network Approach for Compressive Strength Prediction of Stabilized Soil”, Geotechnical Special Publication, ASCE, No. 191: 147-153, 2009. PDF Link
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Gandomi M., Sadat Hosseini S.S., “Prediction of Maximum Dry Density and Optimum Moisture Content of Stabilized Soil Using RBF Neural Networks”, The IES Journal Part A: Civil & Structural Engineering, 2(2): 98-106, 2009. Link
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., “Discussion on Predicting the Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Artificial Neural Networks”, Engineering Structures, 31(11): 2801, 2009.
Chapters in Book
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Talatahari S., “Structural Optimization using Krill Herd Algorithm” Swarm Intelligence and Bio-Inspired Computation: Theory and Applications, XS Yang et al., Elsevier, Chapter 15, 335-350, 2013. PDF Link
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., “Expression Programming Techniques for Formulation of Structural Engineering Systems” Metaheuristic Applications in Structures and Infrastructures, AH Gandomi et al. (Eds.), Elsevier, Chapter 18, 437-454, 2013.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Mollahasani A., Bolouri J., “Linear and Tree-Based Genetic Programming for Solving Geotechnical Engineering Problems” Metaheuristics in Water Resources, Geotechnical and Transportation Engineering, XS Yang et al. (Eds.), Elsevier, Chapter 12, 289-310, 2012.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., “Applications of Computational Intelligence in Behavior Simulation of Concrete Materials”, Chapter 9 in Computational Optimization and Applications in Engineering and Industry, XS Yang & S Koziel (Eds.), Springer, Studies in Computational Intelligence, 359, 221-243, 2011.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Mollahasani A., “A Genetic Programming-Based Approach for Performance Characteristics Assessment of Stabilized Soil”, Variants of Evolutionary Algorithms for Real-World Applications, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Chapter 9, 343-375, 2011.
Conference Papers
Zhang Q., Barri K., Mueller J., Wang Z.L., Alavi A.H., “Digital computing with mechanical metamaterials”, In Proceedings of the International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE) (ASME IMECE 2022), Columbus, OH, 2022.
Barri K., Zhang Q., Swink I., Aucie Y., Holmberg K., Sauber R., Altman D.T., Cheng B.C., Wang Z.L., Alavi A.H., “Architected biomaterials for multifunctional medical implants”, In Proceedings of the Materials Science & Technology (ACerS MS&T 2022), Pittsburgh, PA, 2022.
Aucie Y., Chakrabartty S., Alavi A.H., “Advances in smart orthopedic implants with diagnostic capabilities”, In Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting (BMES 2022), San Antonio, TX, 2022.
Zhang Q., Barri K., Wang Z.L., Alavi A.H., “Digital information storage mechanical metamaterials”, In Proceedings of the International Conference Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (ASME SMASIS 2022), Dearborn, MI, 2022.
Zhang Q., Barri K., Alavi A.H., “Harnessing the power of natural evolution for discovering metastructures with new operation modalities”, In Proceedings of the American Professional Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems XVI, Paper No. 1204314, 2022.
Barri K., Kline, J., Zhang Q., Khazanovich L., Alavi A.H., “Super compressible multifunctional metamaterial concrete”, In Proceedings of the American Professional Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems XVI, Paper No. 1204313, 2022.
Zhang Q., Barri K., Wang Z.L., Alavi A.H., “Multifunctional composite rebars for distributed structural health monitoring of concrete structures”, In Proceedings of 13th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring (IWSHM), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 2022, Pages 253-259.
Barri K., Zhang Q., Wang Z.L., Alavi A.H., “Self-sensing and self-powering multifunctional structures”, In Proceedings of 13th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring (IWSHM), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 2022, Pages 283-290.
Egbe I., Nazar A.M., Jiao P., A. H. Alavi, “Harnessing postbuckling instability of piezoelectric cylinders with corrugation for energy harvesting”, SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems, Paper No. 11588-56, 2021.
Egbe I., Nazar A.M., Jiao P., A. H. Alavi, “A novel multi-mode magnetic triboelectric nanogenerator energy harvesting system”, SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, Behavior and Mechanics of Multifunctional Materials, Paper No. 11589-10, 2021.
Barri K., Zhang Q., Jiao P., Wang Z.L.., Alavi A.H.*, “Multifunctional metamaterial sensor and nanogenerator”, SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, Behavior and Mechanics of Multifunctional Materials, Paper No. 11589-6, 2021.
Zhang Q., A. H. Alavi, “Automated two-stage approach for detection and quantification of surface defects in concrete bridge decks”, SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, Nondestructive Characterization and Monitoring of Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Civil Infrastructure, and Transportation, Paper No. 11592-17, 2021.
Barri K., Zhang Q., Mehta D., Chakrabartty S., Debski R.E., Alavi A.H.*, “An implantable, battery-free sensing system for monitoring of spinal fusion”, SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, Health Monitoring of Structural and Biological Systems, Paper 11593-31, 2021.
Zhang Q., Babanajad S.K., Moon F., A. H. Alavi, “Automated detection and quantification of cracks and spalls in concrete bridge decks using deep learning”, In Proceedings of the 100th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., TRBAM-21-00490, 2021.
Ouyang F., Jiao P., Alavi A.H. “Artificial intelligence-based smart engineering education”, SPIE Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems, 113790C, 2020.
Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Jiao P., Aono K., Lajnef N., Chakrabartty S., " Self-charging and self-monitoring smart civil infrastructure systems: current practice and future trends", SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, 2019, Denver, Colorado, 2019.
Jiao P., Lu K., Hasni H., Alavi A.H., Al-Ansari A.M., Lajnef N., " A multistable mechanism to detect thermal limits for structural health monitoring", SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, 2019, Denver, Colorado, 2019.
Alavi, A.H., Hasni, H., Jiao, P. and Lajnef, N., “Structural Health Monitoring Using a Hybrid Network of Self-Powered Accelerometer and Strain Sensors”, In: American Professional Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Smart Structures/NDE, Portland, Oregon, 2017.
Hasni, H., Alavi, A.H., Jiao, P., Lajnef, N., “A New Method for Detection of Fatigue Cracking in Steel Bridge Girders Using Self-Powered Wireless Sensors”, In: American Professional Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Smart Structures/NDE, Portland, Oregon, 2017.
Jiao, P., Borchani, W., Hasni, H., Alavi, A.H., Lajnef, N., “A Buckling-Based Mechanism for Energy Harvesting and Structural Damage Sensing”, In: American Professional Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Smart Structures/NDE, Portland, Oregon, 2017.
Chatti K., Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Lajnef N., Faridazar F., “Self-Powered Sensors for Detection of Damage in Pavement Structures”, In: 8th Rilem International Conference on Mechanisms of Cracking and Debonding in Pavements (MCD2016), Nantes, France, 2015.
Alavi A.H., Hasni H., Lajnef N., Chatti K., Faridazar F., “A Novel Self-Powered Approach for Structural Health Monitoring”, In: 1st International Conference on Sustainable Mobility Applications, Renewables and Technology (SMART2015), Kuwait, 2015.
Mirzahosseini M.R., Najjar Y.M., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “ANN-Based Prediction Model for Rutting Propensity of Asphalt Mixtures”, In Proceedings of the 92nd Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., Paper No. 13-2180, 2013.
Sadrossadat E., Soltani F., Marandi S.M., Alavi A.H., “A New Nonlinear Model for the Prediction of Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations on Granular Soils”, In Proceedings of the 9th International Congress on Civil Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran, 2012.
Mollahasani A., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Bolouri Bazaz J., “Deriving Prediction Models for Soil Deformation Modulus Based on PLT Results”, “, In Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Computational Civil Engineering, New Approaches in Numerical Analysis in Civil Engineering, Romania, p. 53-61, 2011.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., Mollahasani A., Rashed A., “Nonlinear Modeling of Soil Cohesion Intercept Using Generalized Regression Neural Network”, In Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Computational Civil Engineering, New Computational Concepts in Civil Engineering, Romania, p. 69-86, 2010.
Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “Nonlinear Modeling of Liquefaction Behavior of Sand-Silt Mixtures in terms of Strain Energy”, In Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Highway and Bridge Engineering, Technology and Innovation in Transportation Infrastructure, Romania, p. 50-69, 2010.
Mirzahosseini M.R., Alavi A.H., Moghadas Nejad F., Gandomi A.H., Ameri M., “Evaluation of Rutting Potential of Asphalt Mixtures Using Linear Genetic Programming”, In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Asphalt Pavements (ISAP2010), Nagoya, Japan, Paper ID. 90316, 2010.
Heshmati A.A.R., Sahab M.G., Alavi A.H., Gandomi A.H., “Soil Classification Using a Combined Algorithm of Simulated Annealing and Genetic Programming”, In Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on Civil Engineering, Iran, Paper No. G0273, 2009.
Alavi A.H., Heshmati A.A.R., Gandomi A.H., Askarinejad A., Mirjalili M., “Utilisation of Computational Intelligence Techniques for Stabilised Soil”, In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Engineering Computational Technology, Civil-Comp Press, United Kingdom, Paper No. 175, 2008.
Alavi A.H., Heshmati A.A.R., Salehzadeh H., Gandomi A.H., Askarinejad A., “Soft Computing Based Approaches for High Performance Concrete”, In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Engineering Computational Technology, Civil-Comp Press, United Kingdom, Paper No. 86, 2008.
Moradi M., Alavi A.H., Pashabavandpour M.A., Gandomi A.H., Askarinejad A., “Soft Computing-Based approaches for the Prediction of Compressive Strength of Lime-Microsilica Stabilized Clayey Soils”, In Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Computational Civil Engineering, Computational Models for Civil Engineering, Romania, p. 350-365, 2008.
Gandomi A.H., Alavi A.H., Sahab M.G., Gandomi M., Safari Gorji M., “Empirical Models for the Prediction of Flexural Resistance and Initial Stiffness of Welded Beam-Column Joints”, In Proceedings of the 11th East Asia-Pacific Conference on Structural Engineering & Construction, Taiwan, Paper No. 320, 2008.
PATENTS
Alavi A.H., Barri K., “Self-aware Composite Mechanical Metamaterials and Method for Making Same”, U.S. Provisional Pat. Ser. No. 63/048943, Filed July 7, 2020.
Alavi A.H., Kline J., Barri K., Zhang Q., Khazanovich L., “Super-Compressible Metamaterial Concrete and Method for Making Same”, U.S. Provisional Pat., Filed June 17, 2021.
Alavi A.H., Matin Nazar A., Gandomi A.H., “Electromagnetic Soil and Rock Sampler”, Office of Companies Registration and Industrial Property, Tehran, Iran, Reg. No.: 85005, 2015.
Alavi A.H., Matin Nazar A., Gandomi A.H., “Soil Injection Machine with Automatic Routing System”, Office of Companies Registration and Industrial Property, Tehran, Iran, Reg. No.: 83021, 2014.
Alavi A.H., Matin Nazar A., Gandomi A.H., Saadati M., “Mechanical Soil Sampler”, Office of Companies Registration and Industrial Property, Tehran, Iran, Reg. No.: 74465, 2012.
TEACHING
University of Pittsburgh
• Dynamics of Structures (CEE 2360)
• Dynamics of Civil & Environmental Engineers (ENGR 0151)
• Practical Data Science and Machine Learning (CEE 1323/2323)
University of Missouri
• Structural Analysis I (CV_ENG 3300)
• Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering (CV_ENG 3400)
Services
Editor/Guest Editor
• Editor, Measurement, Elsevier (IF = 5.131)
• Editor, Chip, Elsevier (IF = N/A)
• Guest Editor, Automation in Construction, Elsevier (IF = 10.517)
• Guest Editor, Nanotechnology, IOP (IF = 3.953)
Review Panel
• Proposal Review Panel:
- European Research Council (ERC), Brussels, Belgium
- The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (The Academies), Washington, DC
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Berne, Switzerland
- Estonian Research Council (ETAg), Tartu, Estonia
- The Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC), Washington, DC
- Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Vienna, Austria
- Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Dublin, Ireland
• Regular reviewer for over 30 journals including: Science, AAAS; Advanced Materials, Wiley; Advanced Science, Wiley; Advanced Optical Materials, Wiley; Nano Energy, Elsevier; Advanced Engineering Materials, Wiley; Structural Health Monitoring, Sage; Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASVE; Construction and Building Materials, Elsevier; Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Elsevier; Applied Soft Computing, Elsevier; Measurement, Elsevier; Sensors and Actuators, Elsevier; Journal of Sound and Vibration, Elsevier.
Membership in Professional Societies/Committees
• Associate Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• Vice-Chair, IEEE Cloud Computing Steering Committee
• Member, ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI)
• Member, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Member, BEACON: The NSF Science and Technology Center for the Study of Evolution in Action
• Program Chair, The 6th International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Metaheuristics & Swarm Intelligence (ISMSI 2022), Seoul, South Korea, 2021.
• Publicity Chair, The 8th IEEE Conference on Soft Computing & Machine Intelligence (ISCMI 2021), Cairo, Egypt, 2021.
• Session Chair (Multifunctional Composite), The 9th Annual World Congress of Advanced Materials (WCAM-2021), Osaka, Japan, 2021.
• Publicity Chair, The 5th International Conference on Machine Learning and Soft Computing (ICMLSC2021), Haiphong City, Vietnam, 2021.
• Publicity Chair, The 13th International Conference on Computer Research and Development (ICCRD2021), Haiphong City, Vietnam, 2021.
• Special Session Organizer, The 7th International Conference on Computational Methods in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (COMPDYN 2019), Crete, Greece, 2019.
Session Chair (Mechanical Metamaterials), The 7th International Conference on Smart Materials and Nanotechnology in Engineering (SMN2019), Harbin, China, 2019.• Program Chair, The 3rd International Conference on Big-Data and Cloud Computing (ICBDCC), Tamilnadu, India, 2019.
• Program Chair, The 7th IEEE International Symposium on Cloud and Services Computing (SC2 2017), Kanazawa, Japan, 2017.
• Program Chair, The 2nd International Conference on Frontiers of Sensors Technologies (ICFST 2017), Shenzhen, China, 2017.
• Publication Chair, International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Metaheuristics & Swarm Intelligence (ISMSI17), Hong Kong, 2017.
• Publication Chair, The 2nd IEEE International Conference on Big Data Intelligence and Computing (IEEE DataCom 2016), Auckland, New Zealand, 2016.
OUTREACH
In addition to dedicating time to educating undergraduate and graduate students, the iSMaRT lab is committed to launch educational programs for middle- and high school students. The goal is to inspire and train future leaders in engineering, specifically focused on the interdisciplinary boundary between material science, structural mechanics, energy harvesting, electronics, and machine learning. The center-piece of these plans are activities designed to increase their understanding and retention pertaining to multifunctional materials and nano energy harvesting fundamentals, to engage them with game-like experiments and material design computational tools, and to spark interest in related studies and careers. To further excite the curiosity of students in these STEM fields, we engage them in hands-on experiments at their schools or at the iSMaRT lab. We are closely working with with our award-winning ASCE Student Chapter to educate a large population of middle and high school students across the region with the intent of inspiring them to pursue careers in STEM.
media
Media Reports and Coverages
• News coverage of the NSF CAREER Award with focus on theory, design and applications of mechanical metamaterial electronics:
AZo Materials: New metamaterials that “think” autonomously
ASEE First Bell: Pitt professor receives NSF award to help design intelligent materials
SSOE News: Paving the way for truly intelligent materials
• News coverage of our breakthrough research on metamaterial concrete systems for smart civil infrastructure:
Tomorrow's World Today: Engineers create self-sensing concrete that generates electricity
CompositesWorld: 21st century concrete: composite metamaterial with super compressability, energy harvesting
Interesting Engineering: Researchers create self-sensing metamaterial concrete that produce power
New Atlas: Metamaterial concrete lays foundation for smart, self-powered infrastructure
Wonderful Engineering: Researchers have created a self-sensing metamaterial concrete that produces power
SSOE News: Cracking the concrete code
Nanowerk: A metamaterial concrete for the development of smart civil infrastructure systems
Highways Today: Reimagining the ancient design of concrete for the 21st century
AZO Build: Developing metamaterial concrete for smart civil infrastructure systems
Inceptive Mind: Engineers develop metamaterial concrete for smart infrastructure systems
• News coverage of the new projects with the Pennsylvania Turnpike:
Post-Gazette: Mon-Fayette Expressway a test bed for innovative construction
TribLIVE: Mon-Fayette Expressway’s next phase will help test innovative road concepts
Pittwire: Pitt’s new $2.5 million partnership with the Pennsylvania Turnpike
• News coverage of our breakthrough research on metamaterial implants with diagnostic functionalities:
Advanced Science News: Bone healing with self-aware implants
The Engineer: Meta-tribomaterials add sensing capabilities to spinal implants
Medgadget: Self-powered implant tracks spinal fusion healing
BONEZONE: Researchers design smart spine implant to monitor healing
Nanowerk: Self-aware and self-powered metamaterial implants
3D Printing: AM smart spinal implants for monitoring patient healing
ScienceDaily: Smart implants to monitor healing
Medhealth: Realizing a more personal healthcare
Health Europa: Groundbreaking smart implant monitors healing from spinal fusion surgery
Spinal Surgery News: Smart implants used to monitor spinal fusion healing
• News coverage of our breakthrough research on meta-tribomaterial, aka, self-aware materials:
The Science Times: "Game-changing" nanomaterials are both generators and sensors
SciTechDaily: Revolutionary self-aware materials build the foundation for living structures
Op-Ed by Paul Wallis in Digital Journal: Self-aware metamaterials major advances and cookie-cutter coverage
SlashGear: Researchers create a material able to sense and monitor changes
Tech Briefs Media: 'Self-aware' sensing material powers itself
• News coverage of our recent NIH grant on self-powered implants for monitoring of the spinal fusion process:
Science Magazine: Applying structural monitoring technology to the human spine
SSOE News: Applying structural monitoring technology to the human spine
• News coverage of our recent IRISE grant on integrating bridge assessment techniques.
• Our research on smartphone technology for citizen-centered, real-time and scalable civil infrastructure monitoring has been covered by the NBC/CW+-affiliated television station, KOMU-TV , and Constructech TV channel .
News
April 2023
• Dr. Alavi interviews with the Emmy-nominated television show, Tomorrow's World Today, on metamaterial concrete systems with advanced functionalities!
• The ISMaRT Group has published a chapter on the current trends and future of triboelectric nanogenerators in civil engineering in Handbook of Triboelectric Nanogenerators!
March 2023
• New grant!
• Congratulations to Wendy for winning the CEE Department Teaching Assistant Award! Well deserved!
• The ISMaRT Group has published a paper on electronic mechanical metamaterials in Materials Today. In this work, we have introduced “mechanical metamaterial electronics (meta-mechanotronics)” as a platform for designing intelligent matter that can sense external stimuli, self-power and process the information to create an integrated closed-loop control system!
February 2023
• Dr. Alavi will serve as the invited panelist for the Smart Implants: Developing Battery-Powered and Self-Sensing Devices to Monitor Patient Recovery Session at the Orthopaedic Manufacturing & Technology Exposition and Conference (OMTEC) in Chicago.
• Dr. Alavi is appointed as the member of Machine Learning In Mechanics Committees at the ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI).
January 2023
• The iSMaRT lab welcomes Wenxuan Meng as our new PhD student!
• The ISMaRT Group has published a paper on the first-of-its-kind metamaterial nanogenerator concrete in Advanced Materials!
• The ISMaRT Group has published a paper on design and discovery of mechanical metamaterials using machine learning in Advanced Intelligent Systems!
October 2022
• New grant!
• Dr. Alavi is ranked among “2021 World’s Top 1% Scientists” by Stanford University. This ranking is processed by the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford University and is based on compiling the Scopus data for about 8.5 million scientists in 22 major fields and 176 sub-fields.
• Dr. Alavi gave a keynote talk on “Active Mechanical Metamaterials” at Purdue University.
• The iSMaRT team presents new results on digital computing with mechanical metamaterials at IMECE-2022.
September 2022
• Dr. Alavi gave a keynote talk on “Active materials with embedded intelligence” at ETH Zürich.
• Our work on smart metamaterial implants is covered by and selected for the front cover of BONEZONE Magazine!
• Dr. Alavi gave a keynote talk on “Autonomous architected materials” at Naval Nuclear Laboratory (NNL).
• The iSMaRT team presents new results on digital computing with mechanical metamaterials at SMASIS-2022.
August 2022
• The iSMaRT lab welcomes Wenyun (Wendy) Lu and Jianzhe (James) Luo as our new PhD students!
• Our work on smart metamaterial implants is selected for the front cover of Advanced Functional Materials!
• Dr. Alavi is appointed as the member of SSOE Academic Integrity Committee (AIC) and the faculty advisor for the CEE Graduate Student Association.
• Dr. Alavi is appointed as the member of Architected Materials and Biomechanics Committees at the ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI).
July 2022
• Dr. Alavi gave a keynote talk on “Improving bridge assessment using UAVs” in the International Bridge Conference (IBC).
• Dr. Alavi co-chairs the 5th International Workshop on Combining Physical and Data-Driven Knowledge in Ubiquitous Computing-CPD 2022 to be held at Georgia Institute of Technology in September 2022.
• Dr. Alavi is appointed as the America division chair of the Early Career Researchers Committee of ISHMII (ECR-ISHMII). ISHMII is the International Society for Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure, a non-profit organization of leading structural health monitoring institutions and individuals with a global representation from the applied and theoretical arenas.
• Dr. Alavi will chair a special session on “Autonomous Materials and Structures” at the SPIE 2023 Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems Conference.
• We have recently published a paper in Artificial Intelligence Review Journal with focus on the role of AI in Education.
June 2022
• Congratulations to Gloria and Kaveh for defending their PhD dissertation! Well done!
• Dr. Alavi and Prof. ZL Wang will edit a focus issue on “Nanomaterials for Self-Powered Sensing” for the Nanotechnology journal.
May 2022
• Congratulations to Gloria for landing a tenure-track faculty position at New Mexico State University! She will join NMSU in Fall 2022.
• We have recently published the striking concept of self-powered metamaterial implants in Advanced Functional Materials! These are the first-of-their-kind integrated orthopedic implants with diagnostic functionalities!
• New grant! Light-weight and High-performance Metamaterial Concrete
April 2022
• Congratulations to Aron for winning the prestigious GEM fellowship award! Aron will be sponsored by Meta Platforms (Facebook) and Carnegie Mellon University.
• The ISMaRT Group contributed to the 2022 SPIE Smart Structures-NDE Conference with two technical papers on using natural evolution for discovering metastructures and creating multifunctional metamaterial concrete systems.
March 2022
• Dr. Alavi has published a new book entitled "The Rise of Smart Cities: Advanced Structural Sensing and Monitoring Systems". The book published by Elsevier presents the latest innovations in the area of smart infrastructure-enabling technologies and how they can be integrated into the planning and design of smart cities.
• The ISMaRT Group is one of winners of the 2022 Randall Family Big Idea Competition for developing a new class of 3D printed self-powered metamaterial implants that can detect bone healing progress. Congratulations to all!
• Dr. Alavi and the team won the Mathematics Journal 2020 Best Paper Award for their study on a nature-inspired metaheuristic optimization algorithm.
January 2022
• The ISMaRT Group has published a paper on magnetic triboelectric nanogenerators in Scientific Reports.
• The ISMaRT lab welcomes Yashar Aucie and Isabel Lee as our new postdoctoral scholar and undergraduate research assistant!
December 2021
• New grant! Integrating Additive Manufacturing with Accelerated Bridge Construction Techniques
• Dr. Alavi has been appointed Editor of the Chip by Elsevier. Chip is an international journal that publishes innovative researches in the emerging field of integrated chips.
November 2021
• Dr. Alavi is ranked among “2020 World’s Top 1% Scientists” by Stanford University. Dr. Alavi ranked 1st among all faculty members in the Swanson School of Engineering in single-year research impact category. This ranking is processed by the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford University and is based on compiling the Scopus data for about 8.5 million scientists in 22 major fields and 176 sub-fields.
• The ISMaRT Group is one of winners of the Kuzneski Innovation Cup for developing the EcoSenSE Smart Rebar Technology. EcoSenSE composite rebars are a new generation of concrete reinforcements made from recycled plastics with self-sensing and self-charging functionalities! Congratulations to all!
• Dr. Alavi gave a keynote talk on “Toward autonomous architected materials with metamechanotronics” in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS) at the University of Pittsburgh, 2021.
October 2021
• Dr. Alavi is the recipient of the 2021 Marquis Who’s Who in America Achievement Award! Marquis Who's Who is the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles chronicling the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor.
• Dr. Alavi gave a keynote talk on “Engineered self-aware materials: A technological revolution in material science” at the International Conference on Material science and Nanomaterials (MATERIALSMEET2021).
September 2021
• Dr. Alavi gave a keynote talk on “Discovering engineered self-aware materials with advanced functionalities” at the International Conference and Expo on Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials (Nanotech-2021).
• The iSMaRT lab welcomes Brandon Taylor and Aron Griffin as our new undergraduate research assistants!
August 2021
• We have recently published the striking concept of triboelectric nanogenerator-enabled structural elements (TENG-SEs) in Advanced Functional Materials! This is the first systematic study on integrating the TENG systems into the fabric of large-scale civil infrastructure systems. TENG-SEs are likely to be the next technological revolution in the SHM of the America's aging infrastructure systems!
• The outcomes of our NIH project have been recently published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.
• Congratulations to Gloria and Kaveh for passing their comprehensive examination and proposal defense!
July 2021
• The ISMaRT Group has published two papers in the Engineering Computations and International Journal of Remote Sensing journals.
June 2021
• Congratulations to Gloria for winning another award! She is the winner of Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD) Scholarship!
• The ISMaRT Group has published two papers in the Engineering Computations and IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine journals.
May 2021
• Congratulations to Gloria for winning another award! She is the recipient of the 2020 James D. Cooper Paper Competition Award sponsored by the International Bridge Conference (IBC).
• The ISMaRT Group has published a paper in the Measurement Journal.
April 2021
• The next technological revolution in multifunctional materials and structures is finally here! Read our recent paper published in Nano Energy to see how our striking concept of “self-aware composite mechanical metamaterial (SCMM)” can create material systems that can sense, empower and program themselves by simply using their constituent components.
• Congratulations to Gloria for winning the Advancing Research through Computing (ARC) 2021 Competition!
• The ISMaRT Group has filed U.S. Provisional Patent (Ser. No. 63/048943) entitled “Self-aware Composite Mechanical Metamaterials and Method for Making Same”. This patent presents methods to create a broad range of self-aware material systems with huge applications in the fields of aerospace, biomedical devices, civil infrastructure and construction.
• Dr. Alavi has been appointed program co-chair of the 6th International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Metaheuristics & Swarm Intelligence (ISMSI 2022).
March 2021
• Dr. Alavi was invited for a Lightning Talk at the 2021 SPIE Smart Structures + NDE Evaluation Conference.
• The ISMaRT Group contributed to the 2021 SPIE Smart Structures-NDE Conference with five technical papers .
• Dr. Alavi gave a seminar on “Careers in Civil Engineering” for High School Students from Keystone Oaks School District, Pittsburgh.
February 2021
• Read our recent paper published in Engineering Structures if you are interested in advances of self-powered sensing in SHM arena!
. The ISMaRT Group has published a new paper exploring the power of deep learning for characterization of pavement structures.
January 2021
• Gloria has presented our recent work at the TRB Annual Meeting! This is a study funded by PennDOT through the IRISE Center and is focused on improving the performance assessment of bridges using a data fusion framework that leverages emerging SHM and NDE techniques.
December 2020
• The ISMaRT Group has published two papers in Structures and Expert Systems with Applications journals.
• Dr. Alavi has been appointed Publicity Chair of the IEEE 8th International Conference on Soft Computing & Machine Intelligence (ISCMI 2021) .
November 2020
• Dr. Alavi is ranked among “World’s Top 1% Scientists” and “World’s Top 0.3% Scientists in the field of Artificial Intelligence” by Stanford University. This ranking is processed by the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford University and is based on compiling the Scopus data for about 7 million scientists in 22 major fields.
• The ISMaRT Group has published a new paper on real-time detection of cracks on concrete bridge decks using deep learning.
October 2020
• Read our recent paper in Sensors Journal to find more about the state-of-the-art of the piezoelectric sensing techniques in SHM.
• The ISMaRT Group has published two papers in International Journal of Bio-Inspired Computation and Construction and Building Materials.
September 2020
• Genetic programing (GP) is an advanced framework that can be used for a variety of machine learning tasks. Read our recent paper to find more about the advent, applications and future trends of GP in Civil Engineering arena!
• The ISMaRT Group has published another paper on Artificial Intelligence-enabled Smart Mechanical Metamaterials. Mechanical metamaterials are key to developing multifunctional sensing and structural systems!
August 2020
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the material design and discovery field! Read our recent paper published in “Applied Materials Today” to find more about our striking concept based on AI for autonomous design and optimization of mechanical metamaterials.
July 2020
• Dr. Alavi has been appointed Chair of the Multifunctional Composite session at the 9th Annual World Congress of Advanced Materials (WCAM-2021) to be held in Osaka, Japan.
• Dr. Alavi has recently published an edited book entitled Evolutionary Computation. The book presents the latest theory and applications of the Evolutionary Computation algorithms in various engineering fields.
• Check out our recent edited book entitled Intelligence in Big Data Technologies—Beyond the Hype that has been published by Springer.
June 2020
• Dr. Alavi passes the 10,000-citations milestone according to Google Scholar.
• Dr. Alavi has been appointed Publicity Chair of the European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) International Conference on Intelligent Design and Services Optimization in Smart Cities (EAI OptiCity 2020), the 5th International Conference on Machine Learning and Soft Computing (ICMLSC2021), and the 13th International Conference on Computer Research and Development (ICCRD2021).
• Interested in finding out what really constitutes a good Machine Learning model?! Read our recent open access paper entitled Insights into Performance Fitness and Error Metrics for Machine Learning!
• The iSMaRT lab welcomes Rachyl Rackin who will continue her efforts as an undergraduate research assistant!
May 2020
• Dr. Alavi has been appointed Vice-Chair of the IEEE Cloud Computing Steering Committee.
• Read our recent paper to find out how AI is influencing the smart engineering education!
• Here is our recent paper that presents an efficient data reduction approach for SHM systems.
• We have recently published two papers in Knowledge-Based Systems, Internet of Things.
April 2020
• Dr. Alavi has recently published a book entitled “The Cognitive Approach in Cloud Computing and Internet of Things Technologies for Surveillance Tracking Systems”. This is a part of the “Elsevier’s Intelligent Data-Centric Systems: Sensor Collected Intelligence” book series.
February 2020
• Dr. Alavi has been appointed Editor of the Measurement and Measurement: Sensors journals. These are the journals of the International Measurement Confederation published by Elsevier.
• The iSMaRT lab welcomes Jake Kline and Elizabeth Jones who will continue their efforts as undergraduate research assistants!
January 2020
• Dr. Alavi has been appointed to an Adjunct Professor position at Asia University, Taiwan . Prof. Ching-Hsien Hsu, chair professor and dean of the College of Information and Electrical Engineering at Asia University invited Dr. Alavi to join their faculty as an Adjunct Professor. Asia University is ranked top 500 in many world-wide university rankings.
• We have recently published six papers in Materials & Design, Structural Engineering and Mechanics, Construction and Building Materials, Engineering Structures, Geoscience Frontiers, and Measurement.
• The iSMaRT lab welcomes Chen Wang from Wuhan University of Technology who will work as a visiting research assistant!
December 2019
• New grant! Improving Bridge Assessment through the Integration of Conventional Visual Inspection, Non-Destructive Evaluation, and Structural Health Monitoring Data
October 2019
• The iSMaRT lab welcomes Kaveh Barri and Gloria Wang working toward their Ph.D. degrees!
September 2019
• New grant! Wireless, Self-Powered Sensors for Continuous and Long-term Monitoring of the Spinal Fusion Process
September 1, 2019: The iSMaRT lab launched the group website!
Contact
Amir H. Alavi, PhD
Intelligent Structural Monitoring and Response Testing (iSMaRT) Lab
Swanson School of Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department of Bioengineering
University of Pittsburgh
Address: 209 Benedum Hall, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.